The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched the 24th Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) in Ottawa, Canada, marking the first time the regional campaign has been inaugurated in the country. The initiative is being held alongside Canada’s National Immunization Awareness Week and emphasizes the urgent need to close immunization gaps across the region, particularly as measles cases continue to rise.
The campaign aims to reach more than 7.2 million children who are either unvaccinated or have incomplete immunization records. Across participating countries, nearly 90 million vaccine doses are expected to be administered, including over 80 million influenza vaccines, as part of efforts to strengthen routine immunization and prepare for seasonal disease outbreaks.
PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa highlighted vaccination as a shared regional commitment to protecting lives and emphasized the importance of collective action in addressing public health challenges. He also pointed to setbacks such as the re-emergence of measles and the loss of measles elimination status in Canada, calling for renewed efforts to restore high vaccination coverage and public trust.
Health leaders stressed that declining immunization rates have left around five million children unvaccinated between 2022 and 2024, with vulnerable populations such as Indigenous communities, migrants, and those in remote or peri-urban areas being most affected. Officials warned that these gaps have contributed to the return of vaccine-preventable diseases and underscored the need for sustained coverage above 95 percent to prevent further outbreaks.
The initiative also focuses on strengthening long-term immunization strategies, including improving childhood vaccination, expanding HPV vaccination to reduce cervical cancer, increasing regional vaccine production and access, and introducing new vaccines across all age groups. PAHO emphasized that investment in immunization systems is critical, as weakening coverage can lead to disease resurgence.
The campaign also highlights the growing challenge of vaccine misinformation, with health authorities calling for improved communication, community engagement, and trust-building efforts. Vaccination Week in the Americas continues to align with global immunization efforts, reinforcing vaccines as one of the most effective public health tools, saving millions of lives each year and protecting communities across generations.
